# Why are blondes associated with being unintelligent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 20, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blondes-associated-with-being-unintelligent/189741 "2003-07-20T14:57:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blondes-associated-with-being-unintelligent/189741/21 "2003-07-21T19:22:14Z")
For those who have cited Hollywood celebrity blondes who fit the stereotype, here are some more: \*\* Jayne Mansfield Barbara Nichols Victoria Jackson \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blondes-associated-with-being-unintelligent/189741/22 "2003-07-21T21:57:33Z")
Wow. The item about Roman prostitutes is the most interesting thing I learned today. One reason why this stereotype continues is Hollywood, and show business in general. Even kids get sorted into “beautiful children” (bondes) and “character kids” (brunettes.) When my daughter was acting she almost read for smart kid parts. Of course she is… ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blondes-associated-with-being-unintelligent/189741/23 "2003-07-21T22:38:10Z")
- Sorry for wasting bandwidth earlier on\* \*\*Nametag: \*\* > [@](#): > > I’ve noticed that the women who best meet the stereotype of the “dumb blonde” are peroxide blondes Jayne Mansfield was a peroxide blonde. [She had an IQ of 163](http://http://www.geocities.com/classicmoviestar/jayne.html) ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blondes-associated-with-being-unintelligent/189741/24 "2003-07-21T23:10:42Z")
Replying to **gum** : That link you posted doesn’t work. From what I can gather, her IQ of 163 was _never_ verified. Here’s one of the many sites that calls her IQ into question: [http://members.fortunecity.com/broadcastpioneers/harvey/edjayne.html](http://members.fortunecity.com/broadcastpioneers/harvey/edjayne.html) ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blondes-associated-with-being-unintelligent/189741/25 "2003-07-22T02:20:04Z")
Ahem. Where shall I start? You gentlemen must know we only “act” dumb when it serves our purpose. News flash: 90% of all blonde women age 30 or older are “peroxide” blondes. I am actually a natural redhead. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blondes-associated-with-being-unintelligent/189741/26 "2003-07-22T02:30:54Z")
You should go back. I prefer redheads. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blondes-associated-with-being-unintelligent/189741/27 "2003-07-22T03:38:05Z")
God, you guys, just get a room!!! \ Anyway, I think also if people expect you to be dumb, they’ll talk to you like you’re dumb and the smarter folks will avoid you because they think she’s too popular/dumb to have fun with, so your circle of friends isn’t conducive to becoming a brainiac. That said, of course I know a few smart blondes. I say a few because frankly, we only had 2 or 3 in my entire elementary school and not that many in HS, either. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blondes-associated-with-being-unintelligent/189741/28 "2003-07-22T03:42:02Z")
Just to add: my borough is only about 15% white, and few of us palefaces are of the ethnicities that are blonde. There’s a lot of blondes now in my neighborhood, though, lots of newish Irish immigrants. But many of them tend to be what we called “dirty blonde”, with a darkish undercast to the hair and light brown eyebrows. The total Nordic blue-eyed look is pretty rare. Maybe it’s different in different parts of the country. ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blondes-associated-with-being-unintelligent/189741/29 "2003-07-22T03:50:24Z")
**Mehitable** - I have some brunette jokes, but I’ll spare us all and not post them. I’ve only visited NY once, and was VERY freaked out on the weird looks I received for being the only blonde walking downtown - as opposed to my neck of the woods, where you can’t throw a stick without hitting a blonde. **Q.E.D.** - if I went back to my natural color, I fear the Irish temperament would come out… 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-blondes-associated-with-being-unintelligent/189741.md?page=1)